There isn’t much money in telling the truth

“…We can tell you that there isn’t much money in telling the truth. It’s a sad fact. Every week we try to sift through the garbage and give you the truth. Even when the economy was good, we weren’t getting rich, and now that it’s bad, we’re struggling week to week. But as long as we’re able to do it, we’ll continue to tell you the truth. We’ve been on the web for 15 years and we’ve seen it all. We were once new to computers and to the Internet and we too were once naive We’ve been snookered into buying software we didn’t need. We’ve been afraid to click a link, we’ve been confused by conflicting information and misinformation.

We took the time to find reliable sources for information, to learn who we could trust and who we couldn’t – and when we started our own Web sites in 1997 we committed to share with anyone who would listen the truths we had learned. We could have been rich if, in the heyday of email stationery we would have bundled questionable software with our stationery. During the Christmas season, we were averaging 50,000 downloads a day, and we had offers from companies that wanted us to bundle their software with ours of up to 50 cents per download. You do the math. We could have made $25,000 a day, on busy days, and $10,000 a day on average days, but we wouldn’t do that to our customers and visitors. We didn’t want to violate their trust. Needless to say, had we done that, we’d not be struggling now. But then again you probably wouldn’t be reading this because you wouldn’t have trusted a word we wrote.

The truth can set you free, and the truth can get you free of all those annual subscriptions for expensive security software – you can get most of the security software – and top quality software too – free of charge. But there’s a lot more money in misinformation than in truth. There’s a lot more money in using misinformation and preying on the naïveté of the average user to sell unnecessary software, than there is in telling the truth. There’s a lot more money, if you can live with the deceit and dishonesty, in creating imaginary but believable phantoms, demons, and computer-horror scenarios, and selling software to protect users from these specters, than there is in telling the truth.

We know all the angles and we know all the tricks. We know all the angels and we know all the devils. We know how we could make a lot of money, but something inside us both just won’t let us violate the trust of those who count on us to tell it the way it really is – maybe it’s integrity or maybe it’s stupidity. Your trust is worth more than money to us. We still believe if we do a good job for you and share the truth with you, we’ll do all right. We may be wrong – but we hope we’re right.

We are committed to telling you the truth, and to helping you find those islands of truth in the vast sea of misinformation.

We hope that this book has helped you better understand your computer and The Internet. We hope that the information in this book will help you walk safely around those potholes and pitfalls of The Internet. When you have the facts and you know the truth, you’ll save a lot of money and you’ll enjoy your computer and The Internet more. Knowing the truth will keep you safer than any software program ever will. And when you are confident that you are safe, and when you are confident of what you are doing, you can enjoy your computer and the wonders of the Internet a great deal more.

We hope that you’ve found the information in this ebook helpful in your journey to find the truth, because when you know the truth: The truth will set you free.”

11 thoughts on “There isn’t much money in telling the truth”

TC & EB: Both of you are the greatest thing since buttered toast, the car, the airplane and computers. If it wasn’t for both of you, I would probably still be using snail mail and the phone. Y’all have helped me gain confidence in using my computer and keeping it up-to-date and working. I have enjoyed every subscription sent each week and now daily. I bought a Hubba-Man, the laser-thumb-drive pen, and snd other gadgets and E-Books and enjoyed everything. Keep up the great work. We need all the help you can give, and I’m sure there are a great number of folks out here that love you both a lot.

I agree with Ed’s comment. In addition I would like to say that I feel selfish for holding you back. I would love for you to make all that money. Just let us know when you plan to “go” for it so that we can celebrate your new status. I would miss you terribly, but I would love to know that you don’t need to struggle anymore. Somehow I would manage. I’ve bought most of your e-books, and I’ve been saving your Cloudeight tips e-mails in their own folder, so I have lots of stuff to remember you by. You’ve earned the right to be able to enjoy yourselves.

TC & EB I agree with Ed. I would not be as confident with using the computer if it wasn’t for both of you. I have purchased quite a few of your offers and have loved them all. I have the E-Books and have learned lots and have gained confidence. Without you both I would not be where I am now. Hopefully the economy will turn around and people will come to realize that what you are saying and offering is worth its weight in gold. Keep up the wonderful work

Ditto all of the above. And, need it be restated, your stationery is beyond compare (believe me, I’ve compared!) You see, I really DO love you – in spite of your “sixth-grade-educated” proofreader, who does seem to be making an effort at improvement. Thank you for that as well.

Ed, thank you so much for your wonderful praise and thankfulness to TC and EB in words that definitely need to be said in a way that I’m not too good at expressing. You said it ALL! I got my first computer 18 yrs. ago and my knowledge has come from all the E-books, the “Computer That Doesn’t Bite” book, not to mention all the rest of TC and EB’s thoughtfulness. “Thanks” is such a little word, but has a whole lot of meaning in it. If only we were all loved as much as you two are!

Ed’s letter was wonderful, and I (like the other Lillian) am not that good at expressing in words what is in my heart. I also have all your e-books and our “Computer Won’t Bite” books. There ARE guardin angels and MIRACLES are out there and I am sure that the both of you will be blessed with both. Love is the greatest virtue of all, and remember how much love is sent to you both everyday from ALL of us. Lillian

Ditto to all the above. You two renew my faith in human nature and believe me, I was beginning to believe the worst and think everybody was money hungry to the point of being dishonest in order to grab it. Secretly bundling software or withholding information is in fact dishonest no matter how money grubbers rationalize it. Your our staunch principles keep us believing in you. I also agree with “oldladywho” and think if you two decide you are tired are tired of struggling, just keep to your principles and tell us. I’m almost willing to bet that everybody will understand and you will still be loved by us old fogies:-)